Unravel - One Piece Fanfiction
by RedSyn509
Summary: A story about a girl who encounters the ASL crew and grows along side them before sailing off in search of someone. I do not own the characters or settings of One Piece at all and I am only creating this story for entertainment purposes
1. Chapter 1

Third Person P.O.V.

A young girl sat by the edge of a small stream washing her and her sisters clothes in the slightly cool water. She wore a dress the shade of freshly fallen snow with a light brown hooded cloak tied right below her neck. Her dark wavy locks cascaded down her back stopping just above her bottom. The bold shade of violet glimmering in the sunlight as she quickly squeezed the water out of her sister's shirt.

Ryma, only 7 years of age, hurriedly washed and rinsed the dirty shirts that lay around her before tossing the damp clothes into a wooden bucket to carry back to her home. She'd usually take her time making sure to to do a proper job since it was one of her daily chores, or at least one she'd do once a week, but today was special.

Normally, Ryma would wake up early in the morning, fix her and her sister's bed, eat breakfast, train, clean the cabin, and go on some outdoor adventures before returning home. If it were the weekend, she would also be in charge of cleaning the laundry. Ryma loved her schedule, it gave her tons of freedom.

However, on this particular day Zen, the son of the kind nurse in a nearby town, was visiting. The nurse was close with Ryma's older sister, Miya. After Ryma and Miya had been banished from the town due to an unknown sickness Miya had caught, the nurse would secretly send her son to bring food, clothes, or small gifts. Zen's visits were always the highlight of Ryma's week. She loved the fresh veggies, drinks, and spices he'd always bring. Best of all, she loved fighting with the boy who was quite a few years older than her.

Ryma finished rinsing the last of the laundry. She bent down and quickly picked up the large brown bucket, only to stumble back a few steps at the sudden weight. Balancing herself, Ryma adjusted the bucket's position allowing it to rest in between her chest and her frail arms. She winced as the bucket dug into her stomach but chose to ignore the pain as she rushed back towards the cabin she and Miya lived in.

Biting on her bottom lip, Ryma intently watched her surroundings as she slowly ran through the forest. She went around large rocks, carefully stepped over the thick tree roots, and ducked beneath looming branches.

She didn't want to trip. Tripping could get the clothes dirty and could cost her more time in returning home. Was Zen at the cabin? Did he bring cheese? Ryma loved cheese, she hoped he brought cheese.

Ryma hastened her pace as she spotted the small brown cabin through a thicket of slender brown branches in front of her. The bucket dug deeper into her stomach but Ryma was far too excited to even register the pain. She rushed up the worn creaky steps, the boards grinding against one another beneath her weight. Pushing the door open Ryma spotted her red haired friend conversing with Miya on the single bed in the corner of the room. Her sister's straight dark purple glistened in the sunlight streaming through the window. Lavender eyes intently gazing at Zen.

"Zen! Miya!" She squealed, dropping the bucket onto a small table by the entrance of the room before bolting towards her two most beloved people. Just a few steps from the bed, Ryma quickly shuffled to the right, slammed her right foot to the ground, shifted all her weight on it, and leaped from the side to tackle the two people in front of her in a hug.

"Nice to see you too Ry." The boy, Zen, laughed.

"Pfffftshahahaha" Miya cracked up, expecting nothing less upon the entrance of her adorable little sister. "Welcome back kiddo!"

"I missed you!" Ryma giggled. She unlocked her arms and wiggled her way between Zen and Miya. She then whipped her gaze around to Zen. "Did you bring cheese?!"

"Maybe." Zen smiled. Zen had picked up on Ryma's love for cheese after the first few weeks they'd met. He didn't particularly enjoy cheese himself, but Ryma seemed to pair all her food with it. Cheese on fries, with fish, in pies, or on meat. No matter what it was she found a way to add cheese to a dish of her liking. Looking at her now, he slightly wished he had brought some cheese.

Ryma blinked a few times. She tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows. "Is that a yes...?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Zen shrugged. Ryma looked over to her sister to see if she knew, only for her to ruffle her hair. A shiver ran down Ryma's spine from the cold touch of her sisters hand. She pouted, glumly looking down to the ground. Ryma had been looking forward to cheese. But it's okay, at least Zen was visiting she figured.

The bed rose up as Zen had gotten off the bed. He walked over to a chair in a corner of the room where his travel bag lie. Ryma snuggled into the side of her sister for warmth as she curiously watched Zen rummage through his bag.

"I got some stuff for you guys besides food this time. I would've shown you earlier Miya, but I wanted to wait until Ry was back so you two could enjoy opening them together." Zen explained pulling 3 items out of his bag. One was a journal Zen always carried around with him ever since they met, he paused for a moment before hesitantly placing it beneath the other two items.

"Catch." Ryma grinned as caught a large brown pouch that Zen had sent sailing towards her. She was eager to open it but glanced at her sister as if silently asking for her approval. Upon the slightest nod of her sister's head, Ryma immediately loosened the string on the top of the soft leather pouch and dug her hands it grasping the item inside before yanking it out.

Ryma looked in awe at the item in her hand before whipping her head up to look at Zen who had been placing a smaller leather pouch into Miya's hands.

"Zen! It this for me?! Is it mine?! Is it really mine?!" Ryma blurted in excitement. Before the boy even had a chance to respond she turned to her sister sharing the item with her. "Miya look! Look what Zen got!"

Ryma bounced on the bed, bustling with energy as she revealed a steel dagger the size of her forearm to her sister. Miya smiled softly at her favorite bundle of joy. She wrapped one hand around the pouch Zen had given her and patted Ryma's head with her other hand.

"What did Zen get you?" Ryma piqued, curious to see what her sister had received.

"Mm, nothing much." Miya shrugged. She pinched her little sisters cheek only for her to her to flinch at the sheer coldness radiating from her hands. An abnormal coldness that radiated off her light blue hands. A symptom that had resulted from whatever questionable disease she had caught on the island. "Why don't you try fighting Zen with it?"

"Akay" Ryma grinned. Her 'okay' sounding strange due to her pinched cheek. Ryma jumped off the bed, out of her sister's grasp, and grabbed Zen's hand dragging him along with her as she ran out the cabin. "See you in a bit!"

The pair ran through the forest until they reached their typical training area half mile away from the cabin. A semi vacant field where the two would either train in hand-to-hand combat, clash blades, or tell each other stories. Eager to test out her newly received dagger, Ryma immediately turned to face Zen and dropped into a fighting stance.

"Hold on!" Zen exclaimed throwing out his hands in front of him to stop the young girl from advancing. Ryma frowned as she stared at Zen with confused expression, her ready-to-engage form dropping. "Yeah?"

Zen released a heavy sigh as he nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Well uh, I wanted to talk about something before we do anything else."

Puzzled, Ryma followed Zen as he walked and sat beneath the shade of a large tree. Mimicking Zen's actions, Ryma dropped down next to him beneath the tree. Zen flipped opened his journal that he'd been carrying since they left the cabin and flicked through some pages before stopping and placing the journal open on the ground in front of them.

Ryma stared at the 2 pages in front of her, each page had a drawing on the top half with tons and tons of words filling the bottom half. Ryma really didn't feel like reading so she simply looked at the drawings. The one on the first page seemed familiar to her, like a picture from the books of the tales of pirates her sister read all the time. The drawing on the second page looked similar to a map. Were they going to go treasure hunting?

"You know why you were banished from the town, right Ry?"

Ryma simply nodded her head, her gaze falling back to the drawing on the first page. She knew she had never seen the item in the drawing anywhere before, but the rough outline seemed so familiar to her, yet she couldn't tell from where. She shook her head she turned to Zen frowning. "Aren't we gonna fight?"

"Don't worry, I've got something better we could do." Zen explained. Something better than fighting and testing out her new weapon...? Excitement slowly poured back into Ryma. Zen ideas were always fun! Which meant he must have something fun up his sleeve!

"You've heard of devil fruits, right? And marines?" Ryma's eyes lit up in realization. A devil fruit! That was what the drawing was of on the first page! Miya use to tell her all kinds of tales of the power granting fruits when she was a bit younger!

Ryma vigorously nodded her head in confirmation to Zen's question. She'd heard plenty of stories of devil fruits and also knew of marines. They were the men her sister disliked. Miya always told her not all marines were good marines just like how not all pirates were bad pirates. It all depended on the person. But there weren't any marines on this island. Were they gonna be pretend marines?

"Well, marines came to our town a few days ago. They're just resting on the island for a bit before they take off. But yesterday I heard they had a _devil fruit_. I figured it was just a rumor until I heard actual marines talking about it in the diner in town! Think about it Ryma, if we could get our hands on the devil fruit, it could have the ability to heal your sister!" Zen nervously exclaimed.

Ryma froze. She bit her lip. She knew her sister was sick. Sick enough that most of the townsfolk they had lived with for two years immediately turned their back to them when they found out. Even though her sister often hid her pain and weakened state, the faint blue chilling hue that was spreading across her body was practically impossible to hide. If a devil fruit could heal her sister, then they should just go get it. Zen was so smart!

"Lets go get it!" Ryma exclaimed. Zen ruffled her hair. That had been the response he'd been hoping for. Leave it to Ryma to ignore any and all consequences when she finds something she wants.

"If we're gonna do it then we gotta do it today. But Ryma I have a plan. No matter what you have to stick to the plan, alright? If you don't stick to it then we won't be able to get the devil fruit and help Miya." Ryma frowned, she didn't like being told what to do, but if it as for the sake of her sister and Zen already had a plan, then she supposed it was fine. Zen was smart, he always knew what was right and what was wrong.

"Alrighty." She grinned. Miya would never expect them to come home with a devil fruit!

Zen smiled, it was already mid-day. If they wanted a successful operation, then they'd have to get going now. He got up and gave Ryma a helping hand to get up as well. "I'll explain on the way to town, but we have to hurry. Oh. Make sure to bring your dagger. You might need it."


	2. Chapter 2

Ryma's P.O.V.

I slowly walked through the town with my dagger stuck to my leg with the sort of small leather leg belt Zen had given me and the hood of my cloak up. Zen said that with my hood up, not many of the townsfolk would recognize me. If they did, they wouldn't point me out because they were scared of marines hearing about a disease on the island. It was a bit confusing as to why that mattered, but Zen's smart so I'll trust him.

I pulled at the edge of my cloak, nervous that somebody would recognize me. I glanced around but it didn't seem as though anybody was watching me. I sighed a breath of relief but immediately froze as my gaze met the gaze of a blonde hair lady.

I bit my lip and scurried by hoping she wouldn't recognize me and point me out. Creepy lady! Scared but curious, I glanced back only to spot the lady glaring me down. Chills ran down my spine as I quickly looked away and began rushing towards the coast.

As I got closer, I spotted something amazing. It was... a giant white boat on the water?! Is that what Zen called the marine ship?! I had never seen one before, it was so big!

All the jittery feelings from before immediately vanished as I stared up in awe at the massive ship. I had never been so close to a ship before! If only Miya was here! She may dislike marines, but even she would be excited to see a ship!

I began to twist my head in search of Zen, and spotted him near the start of the ramp that led up to the ship. No marines is sight! This was so exciting! I walked towards the ramp, passing Zen as if I didn't know him.

As I reached the top of the ramp, I bit my lip and I hopped down onto the ship. The hood of my cloak fell back allowing my wavy violet locks to tumble around my small body in the process.

"Hey kid! What do you think you're doing here!" A marine yelled from across the ship. Before he could walk towards me, I quickly bolted towards him with the cutest grin I could muster. I just have to act cute! That's my role in the operation! Act cute and say my lines!

"Oh mister marine! I've been looking for you! You look as cool as I imagined!" I exclaimed attempting to recall the lines Zen had told me to say. The marine that had yelled at me before suddenly paused and stared at me in confusion.

"What's going on over there?!" Another marine shouted as he and a few others approached my location. From the corner of my eye, I spotted a red blur hop onto the ship and disappear. That must be Zen!

I whirled around to the oncoming marines, I imagined the excitement I had at Zen's return and tried to mimic it. Ah! But what were my lines?! "Uhm-Ah! More marines! I'm so lucky! Uhh-Our town never has any marines visit us? I wanna be just like you guys when I'm older!"

The marines glanced around at one another seeming confused. A big marine stood tall and walked through them alongside a pink haired marine. Both had large white cloaks unlike the other marines.

I fiddled nervously with my own cloak as the big marine set his heavy gaze at me. The pink haired marine by side him simply yawned and gazed around, observing his fellow marines.

"Hmm? A brat like you wants to be a marine? What damage could a runt like you do?" A deep voice thundered with slight amusement.

I frowned. Zen's plan didn't seem to be working well, they didn't seem wooed by cuteness. Did I get the lines wrong? Am I not cute? Well I wanna be pretty like Miya anyways! Who needs cuteness!

"I can fight!" I defended, "Once my sister and I were out of food! And I had to kill a giant boar so we could eat it!"

The big marine who called me a runt raised a brow before belting out in laughter with his fellow marines. My cheeks flushed red as I awkwardly stood flooded with mild embarrassment. "PHAPHAPHAPHA! A tiny pipsqueak like you killed a boar?!"

"A _giant_ boar" I mumbled suddenly feeling shy and absentmindedly fiddling with the bottom of my brown cloak again.

Aghhh! This wasn't fair. I was suppose to distract them with cuteness.

"Hmmm~ How about ya show us what ya can do kid? We don't have much else to do anyways." A pink haired marine sighed, a hint of a smile on his face. He had taken a step closer to me with his proposal.

I stared at him. He had short pink hair, bangs covering his right eye. Freckles were sprinkled across his face. His words began to process through my mind. W-was he... challenging me?

"Sure!" I piped, the embarrassment slowly fading.

I can show these guys what I'm made of! More marines gathered around the freckled marine and I. Probably interested in the super cool fight that was about to happen!

I ignored the snickers of some of the marines around me and bit my lip. I gotta beat him! I pulled out the dagger from the leather leg strap and dropped into a fighting stance.

"A dagger huh? You gonna need your swords Shin?" The big marine laughed. So his names Shin. I carefully watched the pink haired mari-Shin. _Shin_. _Shiiin_. Gotta remember that name so I can brag to Zen later! I bet he's never fought a marine!

Shin hummed as he looked me up and down. He waved his hand dismissing the idea. I frowned. Did he think I wasn't strong enough to fight him with his weapons? As if! I bet I could beat him even if he had them!

I carefully looked him over, he didn't seen to be holding any weapons. I ran towards him aiming to slash his neck but immediately ducked as his arm shot out to grab me. I jumped back and eyed him warily. Shin seemed awfully relaxed, a small smile resting on his stupid freckled face as he waited for my next move.

"Feel free to attack any day kiddo, not that ya could ever beat me."

Ack. Jerk! I dashed forward again this time keeping close to the ground, as I watched the jerk swipe to grab me I jumped up-BAM. I flew to the side barreling into some of the marines that had been watching.

I gasped as pain erupted from my side. I stared at the blue sky. HUHH?! I shot up, and looked over at the pink haired jerk who casually stood in the same spot at before. H-How?!

"PHAHAHA!" The big marine belted out in laughter just a few feet behind Shin, his fellow marines joining in with their own chuckles. A tinge of heat rose to my cheeks in embarrassment but I quickly rose to my feet, a grin crawling up my face. "How'd you do that! I didn't see you move anything but your arm! That was so cool! Can you teach me?!"

"Huhuhuhuhu! That's an interesting reaction to someone who sent ya flying ya know!" Shin chuckled. "But, if ya can land a hit on my I'll tell ya how I did it."

Filled with a new found determination I charged forward before pivoting to the left and swinging my right leg towards his stomach. Instead of feeling my leg kick something I simply stumbled forward. I glanced around in confusion. He... He disappeared?!

A strong force smashed me into the air. I curled into a ball and rolled on the ground, cringing from the impact. Refusing to give in I ran at him again. I punched. He smashed me into the ground. I kicked. He grabbed my leg and hurled me into a pile of ropes on the side of the ship.

I burst into a fit of giggles. This was so much fun! It hurt so so much, but it was fun! Shin watched me with amusement. A way to beat him, I need a way! Then I can learn Shin's trick and brag to Zen!

I glanced around myself. Rope, broken wood, and more ro-Oh! Wait! That's it! Hiding my hands behind myself, I cut a bit of the rope and tightly knotted it around my dagger. I wobbled as I stood up again. A sly grin plastered on my face. This time it's gotta work!

Climbing onto the rim of the ship, I began to swing the rope with my dagger attached in circles. I bit my lip focusing on Shin's figure who eyes me curiously before extending the rope length and leaning forward as I sent it sailing towards Shin.

Everything began to move in slow motion as I pushed my weight back in order to prevent myself from falling forward only to hear a shout from Shin.

"Oi! Ya idiot!"

Crap! I stumbled and lost my footing falling backwards towards the sea. Oh crap oh crap oh crap. I clenched my eyes shut curling into a ball awaiting the impact of the water. But nothing occurred...

I slowly opened an eye and stared down at the ocean waves that were still a good distance away. Was I... flying?!

I looked up in excitement and spotted Shin with his clenched around the hood of my cloak. Oh... nope, just the marine. He yanked me up sending my tumbling back onto the ship.

Hehehe. I sat criss-crossed on the deck as I glanced over at Shin. I froze still as I spotted a trickle of red slid down the side of his cheek.

No way...

That means!

"You're bleeding! I got you didn't I?! Does that mean you'll teach me now?!" I shouted excitedly. The marines around me facepalmed and the large marine and Shin belted out in laughter.

"Your one _hell_ of a ballsy kid!" Shin laughed resting his head on his palm. He walked over to me and squatted down, ruffling my wavy hair. "I never said I'd teach ya how to do what I do, but I can show ya I suppose."

I grinned, that was good enough for me! Maybe I could learn by watching! Shin got up and crossed his arms proudly smiling, "I'm a Soku Soku human. I ate the Soku Soku no mi so I can move super fast."

He... He ate one of _those_?!

"Waaaah! You ate a devil fruit!" I gleamed. I got up and circled around Shin examining him up and down. So cool! "I wanna be like you!"

"And maybe you will be you runt! Sure as hell got the potential." The big marine chuckled. Woah! My eyes sparkled as I looked between the two. I couldn't wait to tell Miya and Ze-Oh!

Right! Zen! He probably got the fruit by now right? The sky's gotten darker, I was so distracted that I forgot to keep tabs to see if he'd pass by again. Oops heh.

"Hehe, I uh. I gotta get going now!" I nervously giggled glancing at the marines around me. Shin piqued a brow.

"Hmm. Here, catch." Shin tossed my dagger over to me. I caught it and nodded my head as I ran over to the ramp and hopped onto it. I turned around gleaming at all the marines. Cupping my hands around my mouth I shouted, "My name's Ryma! Don't forget it cuz I'm sure we'll all meet again someday!"


	3. Chapter 3

Third Person P.O.V.

Zen leaned against a broad tree as he excitedly examined the devil fruit he had snagged from the ship. Surprisingly, it had been quite easier than he had originally anticipated. There hadn't been all that many marines stationed inside the ship. It seemed that a majority had gone up to the deck after catching word that some funny kid was daring enough to attempt to engage one of the vice admiral's in a battle of some sort.

Knowing Ryma all too well, Zen knew there was no doubt that it was her. Upon exiting the ship, he had debated lending her a hand. However, the vice admiral that Ryma had decided to battle seemed to simply be messing with her. Not that she seemed to notice as she had been joyfully attempting to land her own hits. She was meant to serve as a distraction and so he had simply abandoned her to bathe in her enjoyment.

Zen gazed up at the dark sky that glimmered with endless sparkling stars. A soft smile graced his lips, his mom would be worrying of his return by now. Surely a good long scolding would await him upon his return. But it was fine. After all, it's not everyday that someone gets their hands on a devil fruit.

The fruit bounced back and forth in redhead's hands as he slowly examined it. Within the darkness of the canopy that surrounded him, the fruit seemed to be a dark shade of orange. It was a bumpy fruit the size of mango, decorated in district swirls with lengthy green leaves protruding from the top. Despite being a bit bumpy, the fruit had relatively smooth skin free of blemishes.

Although it looked interesting, it didn't smell nor feel like anything special. Yet from the information he had gathered, it was quite the powerful devil fruit. Not one that could heal sadly. But still powerful.

What if… he ate it? That would make him super powerful… but he didn't exactly want power. He liked his casual life, albeit a bit boring. He could sell it. It had to be at least worth 100,000,000 Beli. With that much Beli he could definitely get some doctors to help Miya and there would be plenty of Beli to waste away for fun or to help others… but probably for fun.

Zen sighed as he cast a glance at his leather brown journals that lay neglected on the grass just a few feet to his right. He extended his arm and slid the precious book closer to himself. He traced his fingers over the cover with a smile. It had been a present from Miya when she had first met him. Now it was one of his closest treasures, filled with drawings of forest beasts, random logs of information or thoughts, and tales of his times with the pair of sisters.

He wanted to see Miya, but couldn't return to the cabin without Ry. Without a doubt, his limbs would not be intact if Miya caught the slightest hint of the stunt that the two had just pulled.

"Zennnnn!" Zen looked up catching sight of his squealing friend running towards his resting area. "Guess what! Did you know I fought a marine! His name was Shin and he was super fast and I didn't beat him but I landed a hit and IT WAS SO COOOOOL!"

Zen smiled as Ryma skidded to a stop in front of him giddily hopped back and forth on her small feet while rattling on about her fight. Her purple hair bounced all around her as she made wild gestures for the events that had occured as if joining in with the girl's bustling energy.

This was the way he liked it, just relaxing with either one of the sisters if not both. Although, he wouldn't quite label his time with Ryma relaxing. The younger sibling certainly dragged him into the wildest situations. Be it dangling upside down on a tree in the clutches of a deadly snake or being stranded in the middle of a lake due to the little rascal taking him clothes.

He wished he could live in the cabin with the two sisters, but there was no way his mom would allow such. The moment word got around of him even meeting with the pair of sisters, he and his mother would surely become banned from entering the town as well.

As Ryma began to calm down from spilling all the details about her fight, she finally caught sight of the orange fruit in Zen's hand. "Is that the healing fruit?!"

"Nah." Zen sighed softly. A rueful smile on his face.

Huh? Ryma was lost. Wasn't the fruit suppose to have some sort of healing ability? As if reading her mind, Zen continued, "It's not exactly a healing type of devil fruit. But from what I learned it's still a really powerful one. It's called the Atsur Atsur no mi. Apparently is lets you control the pressure of things around you. Isn't that neat?"

"Pe-sure? What's that?" Ryma questioned.

"Nonono, _pressure_." Zen corrected, "It's something that's all around you. Like if you wanted to move that rock next to you. You'd add pressure to make it move. You know?"

Ryma blinked. She looked down at the small rock beside her and began to intently glared at it. Pressure. If she glared at the rock hard enough. Maybe it would create pressure and move like Zen said. Zen facepalmed and shook his head. "Forget it."

"Rymaaaa! Zennnn!" Zen froze as he heard Miya's faint voice calling our their names from a distance.

"Hide it!" Zen loudly whispered tossing the fruit at Ryma. Catching it, she rapidly whipped her head around. Where do I hide it?! Where?! Whe-Ah!

"There you guys are! Do you know how la-" Miya, who had strolling through the trees towards the young pair, abruptly stopped mid sentence, confusion spilling onto her face. "Ry what's in your mouth?"

Huh?… Zen snuck a glance back at Ryma only to freeze as he caught sight of her … swallowing the fruit.

Ryma hadn't know where to place the fruit in the sudden rush. Out of sheer panic she had stuffed it into her mouth. Not wanting Zen to call her an idiot since it was clearly visible she had attempted to swallow it as she slowly saw his head turn towards her direction.

The fruit tasted disgusting but Ryma clenched her jaw and forced a wavering smile before squeaking out a single response. "Nothing!"

"Alright… ? Anyways, you two have been out here for hours. Your mother's probably wondering where your at by now Zen." Miya said sternly gazing at the two friends.

"Yeah, your right, I'll uh- I'll getting going now. Haha…" Zen nervously chuckled as he picked up his nearby journal and began to speed walk away from the sisters. He couldn't believe Ryma ate the fruit. He smacked himself for even passing the fruit to her.

He glanced over his shoulder to catch a slight glimpse of Miya lecturing Ryma who barely seemed to be paying attention before the massive trees of the forest blocked his line of sight.

* * *

Ryma sat on the edge of the single bed in her home with her gaze glued to her sister with concern as she whipped up dinner for the two of them. She didn't understand why or how but it was clear that her sister was getting sicker and sicker by the day.

Her skin was coated with a slight layer of sweat, both her cheeks and nose were tinted a faint shade of red, and she seemed as though she was just faintly trembling. It hadn't been this bad before.

Ryma wanted to say some but she bit her lip and held back the words ready to tumble out of her mouth. Every time she had previously asked the question, her sister would always respond with the same phrase over and over.

" _I'm fine Ry, don't worry."_

But with each repetition her condition seemed to grow worse. Maybe it was because Ryma always asked that it got worse she pondered. Or maybe because Ryma always had her do so much for her. She did most the cooking, she would often comfort her when she was sad, and would even tend to all the wounds Ryma would return home with after all her had to be it, what other reason could there be. She was such an idiot, this was her own fault.

CRACK

"Ah crap! Ry could you grab me a towel?"

"I'll clean it!"

As Ryma rushed to a small cabinet to grab a rag to clean with she made herself a promise to herself. From now on, she was gonna be the best sister anybody could ever have. Even if Miya was older than her, she was gonna be the one to take care of her! She would make sure that Miya would get better and that nothing would hurt her, not even a stupid disease.


	4. Chapter 4

Third Person P.O.V.

"-en. Wake up!"

Zen moaned as he pulled his blanket over his head in an attempt to drown out the voice telling him to wake up.

The blanket was yanked off, introducing him to the cold morning air.

"Oi!" Zen wrapped his arms around himself in some odd attempt to keep warm. He turned to sleepily glare at whoever was robbing him of his sleep and warmth only to come face to face with his mother. Her golden eyes staring right at him. "Ah… M-morning ma."

"Time to get up. Were heading out for a bit." She huffed as she began to neatly fold his blanket. Was this supposed to be some sort of punishment for returning home so late, Zen wondered. He sighed as he heaved his body off his bed and slowly slipped on his shoes by the door.

"Where are we headed so early?" Zen yawned as his mother closed the door of the small home behind herself.

"Well, for some odd reason, the marines are making everybody gather in the center of the town. It's a shame really, I was in charge of opening the clinic but it seems it'll have to wait."

The sleepiness immediately drained from Zen's body. "Oh… yeah, that's odd…"

Did the marines already figure out he stole the fruit?!

No. That can't be right. He couldn't recall being spotted with the fruit. Even then, Ryma already ate the fruit so even if they claimed it was him and searched everywhere, they wouldn't find it.

"You wouldn't by any chance know why the marines are gathering everybody, would you?" Sweat began to accumulate on Zen's face as he slowly glanced at his mother nervously who eyed him with mild suspicion. "You did come home unusually late last night…"

"O-of course not, ma. I t-told you last night. I uh, just got really distracted while doing things with Ryma. Haha." Zen explained. It wasn't a lie. He really had been busy doing things with Ry.

His mother hummed before letting it go as they approached the town center. It was quite a bit crowded. As far as Zen could see, it seemed as though every town resident had gathered. They all seemed to be questioning why marines would make them gather, gossiping how there may be pirates on their way.

Two high ranking marines stood tall at the front of the crowd with at least fifty or so of their fellow marines spread around the crowd. Zen could feel his stomach twisting.

Upon the examination of his surroundings, he made several observations. Firstly, the two marines at the front were the ones Ryma had been messing with yesterday, even though he had only caught a glimpse of them, the large marine and freckled pink-haired one both had bold enough features that made him certain he was right. Secondly, if he were to slip out of the crowd and leave right this moment, the only one to immediately notice would be his mother. Thirdly, he was gonna be in so much trouble. If the marines knew it was him and they didn't kill him, then his mother would never let this incident go.

"ATTENTION!"

In a matter of moments, all marines and towns folk straightened up and set their gaze to the two vice-admirals. The whole crowd had fallen silent.

"Early this morning, one of my young marine cadets had stumbled upon the discovery that an important treasure we had kept secured within our ship had gone missing. The last time it had been seen was yesterday just prior to dusk. It is evident, that somebody within this town has stolen something of ours. Whoever brings the thief to us alive, will receive a reward of 1,000,000 Beli!"

Zen coughed. _1,000,000 Beli_ , that was a ton just to catch a thief! Although, the stolen _treasure_ of theirs was worth may more than that. Zen released the slightest breath of relief. At least they didn't know who it was. They didn't have any details on who could have taken it. That was good, for now.

Murmurs and hushed whispers began to spread across the crowd like a wildfire. 1,000,000 Beli, they'd never heard of someone having so much. What fool would steal from a marine? The people began tossing accusations at one another in hopes of pinpointing the thief in order to secure the large sum of money for themselves.

Zen glanced at his mother. Her lips were pursed together, and she held a face of concern. She cast a glance at him. He tensed. Did she know he had something to do with it?

His mother released a sigh as she placed her arm protectively around him. She knew. There was no way she would do that is she didn't. She must've connected his late arrival with the timing of the stolen _treasure_ as they called it.

The enormous vice-admiral at the front of the town grumbled beneath his breath. He had been ordered to bring that devil fruit back no matter the cost and he couldn't afford to lose it on some random island he had stopped on in order to resupply on food.

The vice-admiral cast a glance at his pink-haired partner expecting to find him lazily dozing off as he usually did. To his mild surprise, although it was quite lazily, his partner's eyes seemed to be slowly scanning the crowd as if looking for something.

There wasn't much that could catch his current partners attention. The vice-admiral wasn't even sure how his partner even made it to the same rank as him at such a young age with his lack of formality and attention. Nor did he understand why he was paired with somebody of the same ranking. Either way, whatever had caught the attention of his subordinate could be questioned at a later time.

The large marine directed his attention back the the crowd that seemed to be tossing accusation everywhere. This was ridiculous. To think that some fool would steal from them and think they could get away.

He turned and began walking back to the ship, the rest of the marines began to trail behind him in an orderly manner. He glanced back to see his partner was still eyeing the crowd before turning and heading in a different direction. The vice-admiral shook his head and continued forward, his partner was known for disappearing often and coming back with something to make up for his disappearances. If he went off the thief himself, it was a good thing.

The noise level of crowd began to rise as marines vacated the area. Acquisitions were being tossed left and right in a scurry to locate the thief before anybody else.

"EVERYBODY QUIET DOWN!"

The townsfolk stood still. All attention was set on a blonde-haired lady who was turned facing the crowd with a devilish smile.

"I know who might have stolen the marine's treasure!" The lady shouted. Zen froze. From what he knew, nobody had seen him with the fruit besides Ryma. He had been overly cautious during the operation in order to ensure such. Then… was she going to accuse somebody? But clearly that wasn't getting anybody from the crowd anywhere.

His mother's hold around him tightened. He looked up to see her concerned expression had deepened. Zen wanted to ask her if she knew something, but anything he said could easily be heard by the silent crowd.

"If we work together we could capture the thief and split the money between everybody here! If not, I can just try to capture the thief myself!" The lady paused as she glanced around at the crowd. Whispers of compliance began to surface. The crowd urged her to continue, eager to hear the name of the thief. "The thief, must be one of the sisters that live in the forest!"

Zen couldn't believe what he was hearing. He clenched his fists and grit his teeth. Just as he was about to shout and defend them, his mother's hand immediately wrapped around his mouth. She slowly urged him to slowly walked backwards, his muffled shouts of complaint and struggle were drowned out by the loud shouts of excitement and agreement emanating from the crowd.

Zen's mother released her grasp on him as they pulled behind a shop. Zen whipped around and eyed his mother with betrayal. "Why wouldn't you defend them?! You could've even let me defend them! It's my fault they're getting the blame when it wasn't even their idea!"

As Zen processed his own words, he shut his mouth and stared wide-eyed at his mother. If she hadn't known who the true thief had been, she definitely knew now.

With a rueful smile, his mother took a deep breath and bent down to hug him. "Zen… You have to understand. If we protect them, everybody will blame us as well. I don't know what you stole, but I _know_ you and I'm sure you had a reasonable reason for whatever you did."

Zen bit his tongue, that wasn't true, and he knew it. He didn't take the fruit for a _reasonable_ reason. It would only have been reasonable if it could have truly helped Miya. But he had taken the fruit even after discovering it wasn't one with a healing ability. He took it because at the time he had already snuck all the way to the inside of the marine ship and had thought, _why not_?

"But now the blame is being forced upon the sisters. I cannot leave for long without others noticing, but I can make an excuse for you. You need to get the girls off the island. You know where the girls live and you should know the woods better than any of the townsfolk."

"B-but how can I get them off the island? The huge marine ship is sitting right at the dock!"

"Shh, don't worry. There's an old fisher's dock along the eastern coast. The townsfolk would never guess the sister's knew they were coming, so they won't expect them to head there."

"They'll need a bo-"

"There should be a few boats remaining there, some folks still love going to their old fishing spots. Zen you need to hurry love."

Zen sucked in a deep breath and nodded his head. He returned his mother's hug before turning around and taking a roundabout way to the woods since the townsfolk were bee-lining straight to them.

He had to hurry and warn the sisters. After all, this had all been his idea to start with. If he had just sparred with Ryma and her new dagger, none of this would have occured. Their lives wouldn't have been in danger.

As Zen turned a corned ready to enter the woods he bumped into someone causing him to stumble back a few steps. Dammit! The blood slowly drained from his face as he caught sight of the person in front of him. It was the pink hair vice-admiral smiling down at him.

"Watcha up to kid?"

"Ahaha nothing much! Just uhm" Zen risked a quick glance at the woods behind the vice-admiral, "Herbs! Just grabbing some herbs for my ma."

"Hmmm~ Ya want some help?" The freckled man smirked. Zen began to sweat, he didn't seem to be eyeing him suspiciously but why would a _marine_ want to help him pick _herbs_.

"N-no thanks."

"Alright, guess I'll be on my way." The man waved his hand in the air as he walked by Zen who let out a sigh of relief. "Not."

Crap. Zen turned to find the vice admiral staring down at him with a sly smirk on his face. "Bet you're tryna warn the two thieves in the would, ya?"

An irk mark appeared on Zen's forehead. He didn't like this guy one bit. "Yeah! I am! Cuz they didn't steal anything but they're gonna get the blame just so the townsfolk can get their money!"

Shin stared down at the red-haired kid infront of him. He had to be no older than twelve yet he was thinking he could outrun his whole town and get to the supposed thieves faster?

Either the kid thought he was insanely fast, or he knew how to get to wherever the thieves resided. Ah, supposed thieves of course. If he were to bring the thieves and the stolen devil fruit back to his partner, what were the chances his partner would be willing to pay him? Ahhh, but it seemed like such a hassle.

"How about this, I can help get to the _supposed_ thieves faster than anyone else, I ate the Soku Soku no mi. Fastest human you may ever meet. But if I find out they have the marine treasure I get to take both of them, if not, I guess I can help them escape."

Zen stared at the marine. This… was a perfect idea! The marine was a devil fruit user, he could help him! Not only that, but there's was no way he'd find the devil fruit with Ryma or Miya since Ryma already ate it. Never had he felt so proud of Ry's stupid decisions.

The moment Zen nodded his head, Shin picked him up with one arm. With Zen shooting out directions and Shin using a fraction of his super speed, they reached the cabin within half a minute.

Zen raced to the front door with the marine trailing behind him. He whipped the front door open to find Miya cooking pancakes as Ry stuffed her mouth full of pancakes and facepalmed. What had he been expecting.

"EEEN!" Zen stumbled as his younger friend hugged with with a mouth full of food and a beaming smile. Miya waved over at him, the sweetest smile on her face. Ah, she was so kind, like an ang-Wait! Not the time to get distracted!

"Miya. Ryma. You two need to pack your stuff and get off the island. The townsfolk are coming to drag you into town and hand you over to marines for a crime neither of you commited!"

The two sisters stared at the boy confused. Miya's face then morphed into terror as she began to process his words and immediately began stuffing some items and food into a nearby bag.

Ryma was still confused. Were they in trouble? Was it because of what she had done the night prior? Either way she needed to protect Miya. Ryma unclasped her hands from around Zen and backed up. Debating how to help, her eyes landed on Shin who stood a few feet behind Zen.

"SHIN! You came to visit?!" She squealed.

"Ahh… Sorta? Didn't know ya lived in the woods…" Shin chuckled, he glanced over to Ryma's sister, whom he assumed was Miya. She had paused her actions and was eyeing him suspiciously.

Shin piqued an eyebrow. The resemblance between the two sisters was uncanny. The only bold aspect that seemed to differ the two besides their age was that the elder sister seemed to have caught some sickness that was visibly giving areas of her body a faint blue hue. But of course, that had nothing to do with him.

He scanned the cabin that seemed awfully bare and lacking in items. "I assume ya two have nothing to do with a missing devil fruit, yeah?"

Zen grinned. No evidence. The cabin the sister's lived in was pretty bare so it was easy to see there wasn't much to start with. He could faintly hear some shouts off in a distance, the townsfolk were probably getting close to the area. Just as he was about to mention the marine's end of the bargain, but Ryma interrupted.

"I ate it?"

Immediate silence ensued. Zen stared wide-eyed at his friend and smacked himself. That idiot!

Miya, who had finished packing, had run over to her sister and began to shake her by her shoulders. "What do you mean you _ate_ it?! You do know it's different from the normal fruits we eat, right Ry?!"

"OH!" Ryma slapped her hand over he mouth. She forgot she were suppose to keep it a secret from her sister.

"HUHUHUHAHAHA!" Shin bent over and broke out into fits of laughter. He couldn't believe the kid had eaten the fruit, and then openly admitted it. She was either amazingly brave, or just a bold idiot.

Shin sucked in a deep breath and released it in an attempt to calm himself. The sight of Ryma's innocently furrowed eyebrows made him wanna crack up again but he restrained himself and just grinned. He hadn't felt this energized in ages. The god damn marine ships were always so boring. There wasn't anybody interesting on the ship, at best he could have some fun whenever they stopped at islands but that was about it.

The shouts were clearly getting closer, it wouldn't be long until the townsfolk spotted the cabin and began to rush over. Shin threw Ryma over his shoulder and picked up the other two kids in his arms. He looked down at the redhead with a smirk.

"Where to?"

"Ah! East of here! There's an old port with a few boats."

Without missing a beat, Shin sped east. He wasn't going as fast as he possibly could in an attempted to dodge the trees and branches scattered in the woods but it was still abnormally fast.

"YAHOOOOOOO!"

Ryma hugged Shin's neck tightly and grinned in delight as her purple hair whipped in the air. Everything around her was blurring by. She couldn't recall a time she had she gone so fast, besides when she had been fighting Shin, but that wasn't nearly as amazing as what she was feeling now.

Shin came to an abrupt stop as he spotted the worn out dock. He dropped Zen and let down Ryma and her sister in a more gentle manner.

"Ah man! You know, I don't like you either! But can't you be a bit nicer!" Zen complained as he rubbed the arm he had fallen on.

"Hmmm~ No clue what ya mean brat." Shin smirked. He glanced between the sisters and the old dock. "Ya two sisters might wanna get going."

Miya looked at the marine thankfully. "Thank you so much for helping us. I apologize for the fruit… But thank you so much. You too Zen."

Zen could feel his cheeks heating up and sheepishly smiled. "Y-yeah, no problem!"

Shin watched as the older sister slowly walked across the worn out dock with her bag slung across her arm and examined the boats. He felt a tug on his coat and looked down. Ryma stood staring up at him with her soft lavender eyes and a guilty frown. "Sorry, I didn't mean to eat the fruit. It kinda just… happened?"

The girl was so young and had already consumed quite a powerful devil fruit. Shin couldn't imagine what would happen to her if some other marine had found out and gotten their hands on her. She could've been forced to become a tool for marines or just been locked up. Either way, any of the innocence she currently had would be ripped right out of her.

Shin sighed and flicked the little girl's forehead.

"Ow!"

"Ya better get strong and put that ability to good use kid." Shin smirked.

"Yeah! I'm gonna become so strong that YOU won't even stand a chance when we meet again!" Ryma shouted giddily. She glanced back to see Miya beckoning for her to come to the small brown boat she had already boarded and ran over to join her.

Ryma placed on foot inside the wobbly boat and picked up her other foot only to tumble forward and fall face first onto the boat. She groaned as she looked up to see her sister smiling down at her.

"C'mon Ry, get up and let's give them a proper farewell."

"Yeah!"

Ryma picked herself up and looked to see her friends on the coast slowly getting further. The boat had already begun to set sail.

The sisters both raised their arms and waved at their saviors across the water on the coast. "Let's all meet again some day!"


	5. Chapter 5

Ryma's P.O.V.

The strong scent of seawater surrounded Miya and I as the boat rocked along the waves. The heat from the sun glared down at us as if hoping to cook us alive. It was entirely different from the cool shade the trees in the forest would always cast. I unhooked my cloak and dropped it to the ground before fanning my face with my hand.

It hadn't been long since we set said but the ride had been fairly quite. I fidgeted nervously with my fingers. Was Miya upset about the whole situation? I wanted to ask but I didn't want her to lash out at me angrily. Although, I can't quite remember if I had ever really seen her be angry at me.

I peaked over at Miya who was leaning against the side the boa and resting. The weird blue hue hadn't spread any more than before. She didn't seem angry either… It couldn't hurt to ask…

"M-Miya?" My sister slowly turned her head towards me and beckoned for me to continue. "Are you mad at me…?"

The was a slight pause as Miya started me with an amused expression.

"How could I ever be mad at you silly. That town wasn't all that nice to start with, it doesn't hurt to have a nice fresh start. As for you eating a devil fruit… Well," Miya grinned. She extended her arm and ruffled my hair with her refreshingly cold hand. "At least I have one _hell_ of a story I can tell other people. But honestly, if I had gotten a chance to eaten it, I definitely would have as well."

I giggled and scooted myself closer to her. Yup, my sister was really the coolest, literally. I hugged onto Miya's blue arm. For once, the coldness that radiated off of the blue hue truly felt nice.

"Speaking of which, do you know what kind of devil fruit you ate?" Miya inquired. Ah. Huh… what did Zen call it again?

"Zen said it was called… something likeee" I bit my lip and furrowed my eyebrows trying to recall Zen's words. It started with an A…? Oh!

"The Atsur Atsur no Mi! That's what he called it, he said you could control p-pessure with it?" I said tilting my head and slowly pronouncing the weird word Zen had said.

"Shahaha, you mean _pressure_. Have you tried using the ability?" Miya laughed poking my cheek.

"Nope!" I smiled.

"You mean to tell me, you got an ability hundreds of people would die for, and you still haven't tested it out?" Miya shook her head in disbelief. She bent over and pulled the bag she had stuffed with items from their home closer.

It took her a few seconds of digging until she pulled something red out and laid it flat on her hand in front of the both of us. I blinked. It was an apple? As if expecting my confusion, she explained, "Here, try knocking this outta my hand".

Weird… I smacked the apple out of her hand and it hit the side of the boat before rolling back towards us. I looked back at my sister for another explanation but she had stuffed her hand in front of her face to muffle her laughs.

I furrowed my eyebrows and stared in confusion. She asked me to smack it out of her hand, so I did. But what was so funny?

"I-I meant to kn-pffft- okay wait. T-Three. Two. One. Alright, all goo-pffftshahaha!" I smiled, at least she was having a nice time. She was bent over the side of the boat, her loose blue and white jacket folding as she laughed her heart out.

I glanced down at the apple, maybe she meant moving it with devil fruit ability? But when I glared at the rock before, that hadn't worked. Maybe I needed to _pressure_ it to move somehow. Make it move without touching it.

Miya's laughter had died down. I glanced over at her to see her watching me with a smile, her head resting on her hand. Alright, I can do this! I stared at the apple and envisioned something strong smacking it to the side if the boat. The apple went flying to the left side of the boat.

"DID YOU SEE THAT?!" I shouted whipping my head over to Miya who was staring wide-eyed at the the apple.

"Oh my… Ry, that's amazing! How'd you do that?!" Miya glomped me into a hug and I giggled. That was so cool! I could make things move without touching!

"I imagined something strong hitting it!" I said.

"Oh?! That's interesting. Could it be you unintentionally imagined pressure in order to move it…? " Miya mumbled. Pressure! It was that word again! This was what Zen probably meant! I could control pressure! If I could practice improving it like my fighting skill then maybe it could become a powerful weapon as well. Like the dagger Zen got me!

"Ry, look over here." I giddily looked over at the back of the boat where my sister was pointing. "It may not work… but try moving the boat forward with pressure like you did with the apple."

Moving the whole boat? I grinned. I stared down at the back of the boat and imagined pressure pushing the boat forward. Nothing occurred.

"Nothing? Hm, try focusing it a more smaller area but still pushing againt the back of the boat." Miya advised. I pouted mildly disappointed I didn't get it the first time but took a few seconds to process Miya's words before attempting what she said.

I needed to focus it. I furrowed my eyebrows and frowned as I stared at the back of the boat. How was I supposed to focus on one area when I could see so mu-oh!

I closed and eye and raised my arms in front of myself. I used my finger to form a rectangle where I could see the area where the back of boat would be and imagined _pressure_ coming in my direction but hitting the back of the boat.

Suddenly, the boat jolted forth and Miya and I both grabbed the side of the boat in order to save ourselves from toppling off the boat as it unsteadily shook back and forth in giant swint. Miya and I both bore wide grins of in awe. I had managed it!

I stared at the back of the boat and reenacted my previous actions. Once again, the boat jolted forward and Miya and I clung to the sides as we broke into fits of laughter.

"Miyaaa! This is so COOOOL!" I shouted over the pounding waves and rocking boat.

"Yeah! It is! Shahaha!" She laughed back.

I sucked in a deep breath and glanced in the direction the boat was sailing only to do a double take at what I saw. There was an island up ahead! Yes! Land!

"Miya! There's an island over there!" I excitedly shouted tugged at sleeve of her jacket and pointing at the small island not too far off.

All of a sudden, large waves began crashing even harder into the boat. Confused, I glanced over at my sister. I hadn't tried to make the boat move myself this time? Not to mention, these waves were a lot stronger than from my pressured pushes.

"I… I think there's something beneath us." Miya claimed worriedly as she protectivelt slung her arm across my body and pulled me closer to her. What could be under u-

My eyes widened as a giant dirt brown monster with blue fins emerged from the sea and loomed over the back of our boat staring down at us with it's red eyes. It's shadow was large enough that it cover our whole boat and more.

"R-Ry, do you think you could make the boat move forward again? Faster, and towards the island?" My sister whispered nervously. The sea monster's spiky teeth poked out of his mouth as he grinned. Sweat began dripping down both out faces.

"EEEEEEK"

The sea monster lurched forward. In a moment of sheer panic I immediately shoved my arms forward, made a small square, and imagined a ton of pressure smacking the sea monster backwards hard enough that it would go away and leave us alone..

The sort of pressurized bullet smacked the sea monster in the head causing it simply move it's head back a foot as if somebody had poked it in the head. A deep growl began emanating from the large creature

"Bad idea!" I screamed as I created a wider square and aimed it at the back of the boat creating pressure like before as the sea monster lunged for the boat again.

The boat jolts forward just enough to dodge the jaws of the giant brown beast. Ahh! I what do I do, we're gonna die at this rate!

"M-MIYA!"

"Ry! Do it again! Try to keep a constant pressure! Think of how a fire keeps burning!"

Without missing a beat I followed my sister's advice and made a wide square and imagined a constant pressure coming in my direction and hitting the boat. I then maintained it and kept up my form as I continues pressuring without backing down. Rather then jolting forward like from all the previous attempts, the boat surged on at a steady speed. However, the sea monster was easily swimming to catch up.

"Focus the pressure more!"

Adrenaline raced through me as I made the square as small as I had when I shot out a pressurized bullet and strained my eyes to focus solely on the area. The boat began speeding and quickly sailed forward towards the island. Miya tightly held onto me with one arm as she clung to the side of the boat with the other. The boat was furiously sailing fast enough that it was no longer unsteadily shaking back and force.

The sea monster was slowly gaining on us but suddenly turned and backed off as if spotting danger ahead. Huh? Confused I broke my focus and risked a glance backwards. OH N-

SMASH.

The boat crashed into the coast and sent Miya and I flying out of the boat.

I groaned as I hugged my side and laid on the ground looking up at the sky. I felt drained. But… we escaped the jaws of a _sea monster_.

"Fuhahaha! Miya that was amazing!" I squealed as I rolled my body back and forth in the dirt. I hopped up and turned looking for Miya who lay sprawled on the ground with her face buried in the dirt right at the edge of a forest. She steadied her hands on the ground and shoved her head out sucking in a huge breath of oxygen. I giggled as she glanced around wide-eyed taking in everything around us.

"I… can't believe we escaped a sea monster. Hell! I can't believe you did that Ry!" My sister claimed in awe. I proudly grinned at the praise and then noticed something. I furrowed my eyebrows and squinted making sure I wasn't just imagining it

"Miya! Your arms!"

A look of confusion surfaced onto my sister's face as she glanced down and realized what I saw. The blue hue that had been travelling across her body and causing feverish symptoms was now slowly retreating.

There wasn't a huge difference from before, but the difference was still there. The blueish tint that had previously been making it's way just passed her elbow had receded just about in inch before her elbow. She was getting better!

Miya grinned with tears pricking her eyes as she stood up and checked the rest of her body where the tinted shade of blue lied.. I giggled. I knew it, as long as I'm a good sister the sickness would go away. I spotted my cloak and the bag Miya had brought a few feet from a large piece of the wrecked boat. I picked up both items and slung them across my shoulder, it was still way too hot to wear my cloak.

"Ry…"

I looked over at my sister. "Yeah?"

"I'm glad you ate that fruit."

I ran over and tackled my sister in a hug with a huge smile. I was happy I ate that fruit too. We left the island with mean villagers, Miya was getting better, and I had a cool ability. I was gonna miss Zen, but I know I'll find him again another day. Just like how I'll find Shin again.

I held Miya's hand as I pulled her towards the woods with me. She was still sniffling, but she was smiling as well.

"Miya? Where are we?"

"Well, I have no idea. But, you know what that means." She said grinning at me. My eyes sparkled and I cracked a smile already know the words that were about to slip from her mouth. "Time to explore!"


	6. Chapter 6

Third Person P.O.V.

Ryma and Miya had dedicated a few solid hours of their day to explore the forest they had discovered. They dug under rocks, chased small animals, and jumped from the uppermost branches of the tree.

Due to the illness that Miya had caught on the previous island, she had often limited her actions. However, noting that her illness seemed to be receding gave her the energy to enjoy her time with her little sister.

During their exploration, Miya noted some observations. Firstly, the portion of the island they had been exploring was most definitely on a mountain and it was enormous.

Secondly, there seemed to be a kingdom nearby. She couldn't see much past the large stone border and gate of the kingdom and she had debated walking over to, but it seemed like a bit of a walk and figured she could save the trip for another day.

The final observation Miya had noted was that just in front of the kingdoms gate lied a gray area with stacks upon stacks of junk. Ryma thought it was amazing that so many items could be in a single place. Miya realized the area was a junkyard and pondered in anybody lived there.

While exploring, Miya had located a clearing on a cliff just next to the forest. From the cliff, she could see the ocean for miles on end. The sun blazed from above providing some nice warmth along with the ocean breeze. She figured the area was perfect and called Ryma over so they could attempt to create some sort of makeshift tent.

About an hour later, Ryma grinned as she rolled around the grass of the forest taking in a deep breath of the fresh forest air. She couldn't believe all the amazing things that seemed to be happening around her. She proudly looked over to the, makeshift tent she and Miya had pitched up together.

Although their enclosure was standing up right, it looked as though it could collapse at any given moment. Not to mention their tent had gaping holes all around that provided little to no protection to its inhabitants.

From what Ryma could see, it seemed like her sister had already gone in and fell asleep. It was only midday, the sun still hung up high in the sky, but she could understand why her sister wanted to sleep. After all, it had been a busy day.

Ryma giggled as she came up with an idea and headed into the forest once again. She could catch and cook dinner to surprise her sister when she woke up. She paused before entering the forest and decided to grab her cloak since the shades casted by the large trees were often a bit cold. It must be cold at night too them. If she caught a large enough animal, then they could also use the the skin as a warm blanket for the night!

The dagger that Zen had gifted her was still resting in it's guard hanging from her leg strap. She pulled out the dagger and quietly walked around listening to the sounds of the forest. Chirping could be heard loud and clear, but Ryma wasn't looking to catch something as small as a bird and her eggs. She wanted something larger, much larger.

After a few more minutes of quietly stalking around the woods, Ryma froze as she heard a ferocious roar off in a distance. A grin crawled onto Ryma's face.

That roar…

Sounds like one from a large beast!

Ryma immediately raced in the direction of the roars, the closer she got, the louder the enraged roars resonated around her. From a distance she caught sight of a large brown animal. A bear?!

The small girl slowed her pace and hid behind a large tree. She pressed her hands carefully on the rough wood as she leaned to her right to peek just past the large, brown trunk. Her eyes lit with excitement.

The bear was at least four times her size. That would be perfect for a meal! It could last her and her sister quite a while, and the fur coat could make for an amazing blanket!

However, one thing was left unaccounted. A boy in a red tank top and black shorts was fighting the bear with a long pipe. Ryma pouted. That bear could have been the perfect catch! But what were the chances of the boy being willing to share with her? Surely he'd share with her if she were to help right?

With that thought in mind, Ryma began climbing up the tree she had been hiding behind. The bear released another roar, as the boy landed another hit on him with his pipe. Who fights with a pipe?

Ryma pulled up the hood of her cloak as looked down at the bear from a sturdy branch. For something like this, she could try using her ability. After all, that bear looked like nothing compared to the size of the sea monster she and her sister had seen just a few hours earlier.

Raising her hands, Ryma created a square with her fingers. She traced the movements of the bear and right as the raven haired boy unintentionally lead the bear closer to her direction, Ryma shot out a pressure and stumbled back a step from the sudden force.

The bear's head smashed to the side as if it had just been smashed by a powerful hit. As the bear was momentarily stunned, Ryma jumped down and land a powerful kick on the bears back before jumping back towards the mysterious boy.

The bear, angry and confused immediately labelled the cloaked figure as yet another threat and slammed his paw down between his two attackers while glaring down menacingly at the newest threat.

Ryma swallowed and released a nervous chuckle as the pissed bear glared down in her direction. Ahaha, that's… an angry bear…

Ace, who had previously been fighting the bear knit his brows in mild confusion and watched as a strange cloaked figure jumped out of the way as the bear lunged towards them. Were they trying to steal his prey?

The boy scowled as he charged forward and smashed the bear on the top if his head while the bear was distracted by the stranger. There was no way he'd allow that!

Ryma silently thanked the boy as she ran for cover behind a few trees. However, instead changing targets, the weakened bear decided to go straight for her again. WHY?!

"CATCH!" Ryma shouted as she threw her dagger towards the raven haired boy.

Instinctively, Ace caught the dagger dumbfounded. Tsk! Who was this stranger?!

Just as the bear was within a few yards of Ryma, she quickly made a rough square and released a harsh force of pressure that slammed into the bear stunning it again for just a moment. Without missing a beat Ryma jumped on top of the bear and clenched her teeth as she slammed her right heel into the back of the bear's neck with all her strength. The giant beast released a raging cry.

Ace took advantage of the bear's pain and lunged forward slashing the bottom of the wailing bears exposed neck. Blood splattered across Ace's tank top and arms but it didn't matter much to him. The bear stood up for several more seconds before his legs gave out and he slammed forward onto the ground.

Panting, Ryma grinned and wiped away her sweat before giving a thumbs up to the boy standing on the ground in front of the bear. However, the boy acted in a manner she hadn't been anticipating. Rather than celebrating with her, he glared back.

"Who are you, you bastard!" He shouted an a unfriendly tone. Ryma tilted her head confused as to why the boy would act unfriendly towards her after she had even gone out of her way to lend him a helping hand. Although it had been so she could get a share of the bear hopefully.

"I'm Ryma!" She piqued as she proudly stuck out her chin. As her head tilted back, Ryma's hood fell exposing her face.

Ace scowled at the girl that stood before him. He'd never seen a brat like her on the island before. He couldn't believe she had tried to take his bear aw-

"Wanna be friends?!"

Ace's scowl faltered for a split second before returning and deepening. "Tch. Get off my catch ugly!"

Ryma frowned and knit her brows angrily. The raven haired boy wasn't nice at all. All he seemed to care about was the bear that she helped him kill. "I helped you kill that bear! I want some of it too jerk!"

An annoyed tick mark surfaced onto Ace's forehead. He growled at the girl who looked down at him with her hands on her hips. Her purple hair glimmered around her as her lavender eyes bore into his brown ones.

Where had this girl even come from?! He would recall if a purple haired kid had been lived in the forest. But as far as he knew, only the bandits, the brat Garp dragged in, and himself occupied the area of the mountain.

Ace angrily hurled the girl's stupid dagger towards her. He watched as the dagger flew past Ryma's arm before firmly lodging itself an a tree a few meters behind her.

The corner of his lip curved up in a small smirk as he saw the brat stare wide-eyed at him. He had been aiming to hit her but wasn't use to tossing daggers and had missed in the end. However, the reaction Ryma gave him was better than nothing.

Ryma couldn't believe this kid! She thought they could have been friends but he was so unbelievably rude!

She walked over to her dagger and yanked it out of the tree with a significant amount of force. Clenching her fist tightly, she stomped to the side of the bear, and stuck her tongue at him before rapidly bolting off into the woods.

"Oi!"

Ace clenched his teeth, a shadow cast over his eyes. Part of him wanted to chase down the brat but he also had the take care of the bear he killed. But… If he ever saw her again, he'd kill her. She was just another stupid brat on the island like Luffy.


	7. Chapter 7

Third Person P.O.V.

A large, brown board creaked as it was pushed up against the side of similar boards just like it. With just a few smacks, the final nail was lodged firmly into the board.

With that, the latest cabin had been created. A faint breeze passed through the air and the pair of sisters looked at their amazing handiwork. They had evolved their small useless tent built with plain twigs and branches into a small cabin with walls made of boards nailed together.

"Miya!" Ryma giggled as she ran around the newly build cabin marveling at its beauty. The cabin wasn't much compared to their previous one, but it was still amazing. After all, it was their start of a fresh new home.

"We did it! We made another cabin!" Ryma grinned as she hugged the cabin wall. The boards were uneven and rough, but they were sturdy and strong.

Miya smiled softly. She was happy about the new cabin, but it made her even happier to see the giddy smile of excitement on her sister's face.

She shook her head, what would she have done if she hadn't had Ryma in her life? Her precious sister was always the one that managed to cheer her up no matter what occurred.

Ryma was the very reason that the sickness Miya had caught vanished without a trace. She was the reason Miya had originally abandoned their family as kids. She couldn't imagine what her life would be like without her little sister.

"Hey Ry, what do you think of setting up a garden for vegetables?" Miya inquired.

Ryma glanced over at her sister and tilted her head. Why would they need a garden? They had managed just fine without one previo-

Oh. Right.

Zen would always bring veggies and spices for them. Without someone like Zen, they'd need another way. But…

"Do we _really_ need veggies?" Ryma pouted. Sure they tasted good. But they were nothing compared to meat and cheese.

Ah! Cheese!

"Wait! Can we grow cheese instead?!"

Miya processed her sisters words and lightly laughed. She walked over to Ryma and ruffled her hair before responding. "Cheese doesn't grow from the ground kiddo!"

"Where else would it come from?" Ryma piqued curiously.

"Ah. Well, I know it's made with milk… but I'm not sure how." Miya scratched the back of her head. She had always bought it from town shops. When she was kicked out, the town nurse would be the one to occasionally buy it for her. She wasn't sure how it was made at all.

"But you know, since we're done building. We could go check out the kingdom nearby now."

Ryma whipped her head up too look at her sister. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, her violet locks glimmered in the sunlight, and her smile quivered in anticipation. She'd never seen a kingdom before! Not that she could remember at least. Was there a lot of food? Were the building tall? What did people do there?! She couldn't wait to see!

"Yeah! Let's go!"

* * *

Miya and Ryma had cut through the forest and gone down the side of a cliff to the gray junkyard. It was their second time coming down from the mountain to the area. On their first trip, they had simply walked around the outskirts of the junkyard in order to obtain tools help them build the cabin. Simple items such as an old hammer and nails of all sizes.

This time, they were walking through the area to head into the kingdom. A strong gray smoke hung above the area, a pungent smell accompanying. Miya flicked her eyes from one pile of junk to the next. There sat bent metal pipes, broken pieces of worn furniture, and small miscellaneous items.

Ryma was curious about all the items and wondered if large kingdoms normally dumped such things outside their walls. She wrinkled her nose at the pungent smell and hopped from all kinds of broken contraptions. She had never seen so many items gathered in one place.

"Careful Ry, the stuff here isn't stable." Miya said worriedly. If Ryma were to step on something too weak to support her, she could easily trip and end up with a nasty, and potentially infected, wound.

"It's okay, it's fun this way." Ryma smiled at she leapt onto a tattered couch. The couch creaked and sunk beneath her weight. The cloth was filthy, but Ryma didn't particularly care. So what if she got dirty? So what if it stunk? As long as she didn't injure herself, a quick bath was an easy solution!

As the pair of sisters got closer to the kingdom, they began to spot others in the area. They wore aged and torn clothes, dirt smudges were spread all across their arms, and their eyes searching carefully through the items around them. It was as if they were all searching for something within all the mess. Without missing a beat, Ryma bolted towards the closest group of people.

"Ah! Ry wa-"

"Hello!"

A few folks paused their searching and stared over at the little girl in mild surprise. They didn't know of many children that resided in Gray Terminal, perhaps the child was from the kingdom. But that couldn't be, what child would dare to step out of the kingdom and into an area… like this?

"Hello young miss." A lanky man nearby greeted hesitantly.

"Mister, what are you doing? What's everybody looking for?" Ryma piqued as she tilted her head. Miya rushed over to her sisters side and gave the group of people an apologetic look before smiling. She herself was curious to know what everybody was looking for, but she hadn't expected Ryma to bolt away so fast. But then again, when did her sister ever restrain herself?

"Hoho, you kids don't seem like you're from around here." The lanky man chuckled with a raised brow. Both girls cast each other a glance and nodded sheepishly.

The small group of people exchanged a few looks with one another, unsure of whether to tell the young girls the truth or to form some sort of lie.

Feeling as though there was no unnecessary reason to lie, the lanky man that had previously spoken straighten up and explained to the sisters. "This area here, is called Gray Terminal, it's a large collection of unwanted goods from the kingdom. An area where folks like me reside. We search for goods among this junkyard in hopes to sell them and make what little money we can in order to survive."

Goa Kingdom. Miya flicked her eyes over to the kingdom gates with furrowed brows. Why couldn't they settle for life within the kingdom…?

Miya shook her head and smiled softly at the middle-aged man who had given them an explanation before nodding as a notion of respect. "My little sister and I just recently came to this island, we were just headed into the kingdom to see what it was like and potentially buy some goods."

"Hohoho, well then I wont keep you from heading there. It's pleasant to see some fresh faces around, feel free to stop and talk with me any time. My friends and I may not have much, but we welcome you two with what we do. " The man softly smiled. Small comments of agreement wafted through his group of friends as they all cast welcoming smiles and nods to the sisters. Ryma slowly waved at the group before she and Miya continued towards the kingdom gates once again.

"Miya, why don't they just live in the kingdom?" Ryma asked in a hushed voice. She looked up at her sister expectantly for a response only to see Miya smiling softly.

"I'm sure they have their reasons." She said as she ruffled Ryma's hair. Ryma pouted but she didn't push the topic. As they passed through the kingdom gates, Ryma began spinning around on the cobblestone as she took in the sights around her.

The streets were crammed together with tall buildings that towered over them. At first the building had dull colors and seemed worn out as is they hadn't been properly cared for. However, the further into the kingdom the sisters went, the fancier, cleaner, and more vibrant the buildings became. There were shops of all kinds, from restaurants to parlors. Both sisters marveled at the area around them that seemed completely different from the town on their previous island.

"So this is what a kingdom is like!"

"There's so many people!"

"Such fancy clothes!"

"Huge buildings!"

Almost immediately, the two split the little money they had in half and began racing all over the kingdom to check out the shops they'd never seen. However, the measly sum of money both sisters had was barely enough to cover the cost for a majority of items being sold. Thus, upon such a discovery, many store owners would immediately boot the sisters out.

Ryma puffed her cheeks and pouted as she walked down the cobblestones path with her sister. "Stupid shops, stupid money."

"Ahh, don't be like that Ry! That just mean I need to get some money!" Miya grinned. Fortunately, a solution hung just few feet away from them in the form of a flyer. Miya paused for a moment and scanned the paper.

 _In need of a job? Come check out the Bell Cafe!_

 _Hiring waitresses now!_

"Ah! Ryma, why don't you check out some of the market shops over there." Miya said pointing to an array of shops off to the side. "I'm going to check something!"

With that said, Ryma watched her sister quickly dart inside a nearby cafe. Ryma giggled, she hadn't seen her big sister this energized for what seemed like ages.

Feeling a bit hungry, Ryma decided to listen to her sister and checkout some of the market shops nearby for something tasty to eat. Slowly strolling by each shop Ryma spotted an array of foods. Such foods included fresh apples, fried dumplings, cherry pies, baked bread, and cheese curds.

Ryma froze.

C-Cheese curds…?!

The small girl's head whipped straight in the direction of the vendor selling cheese curds and began to drool. She pulled out the pouch of coins looked in from the small opening to count her money. She had enough to buy a few cheese curds!

Off in a distance, an angry restaurant manager was chasing down a pair of boys who had dared to eat to their heart's content at his beloved restaurant without paying a single penny. The two boys laughed as they ran down the street with their with their pipes slung across their shoulders.

"They're running away without paying! Somebody catch them!" The manager desperately shouted as he chased after the boys.

"Ahh! that was some really good pasta Ace!" One boy, Sabo, yelled with satisfaction thoroughly laced within his voice.

"I told ya so!" Ace responded. The young boy looked up ahead and spotted what seemed like a familiar small figure. He squinted his eyes and focused as he ran. T

he closer he seemed to get, the more familiar the figure seemed seemed to be. As the figure moved just slightly to the side, Ace realized why they seemed so familiar. It was that purple haired brat from the the other day! So she was a brat from the kingdom! Tsk. No wonder he hadn't recognized her. But what was she doing on the mountain?

Ace watched as the girl opened a small pouch and stared inside before stupidly grinning. The pouch must have some money in it. She was probably some rich spoiled brat!

Ace scowled. He had promised to end her… but he didn't have time to deal with her right now. However, that didn't mean he couldn't teach the runt a lesson.

Sabo glanced at Ace confused. His friend had just been laughing happily alongside him seconds earlier, but now his happy expression had been replaced with a scowl. Tracing his line of sight, Sabo spotted a girl eagerly looking at a food vendor with a pouch in her hands.

Once Ace was close enough, he harshly pushed the cloaked brat to the ground and snagged the pouch of coins she tossed in the air as she fell before continuing to run. Got it!

Ryma sat on the ground stunned. She turned her head and spotted two boys running down the cluttered street. One wore a blue jacket and black hat and seemed to be staring at her a bit confused. The other wore a yellow tank top and was smirking at her a he shook _her_ pouch of coins in _his_ hand.

Ryma frowned. It was the boy she had helped kill a bear! Ahh, She didn't think she'd run into him again. This was karma for purposely annoying him before she ran, wasn't it.

By the time Ryma had gotten up and and dusted off her clothes, the two boys had vanished into the crowded streets.

She folded her arms and furrowed her brows. Thinking about it now, _she_ was the one that barged into the boy's fight. It was fair that he wouldn't want to share, even if she did help him seeing as he never asked for help.

Ryma shook her head.

Nonono, even then, _h_ _e_ called her names and threw her dagger at her. But every time he did something, she had retaliated in spite. How could she not?! She had just been irritated.

The small girl smack her head, there was no point in thinking about it now.

"Ryma!"

Upon hearing her name called, Ryma turned in the direction of the voice and spotted her sister happily jogging towards her.

"I got a job! There was this really nice lady at a cafe and she said I'd be a perfect fit to help at her shop! The pay is really good too!" Miya explained excitedly as she laced her arms around her sister for a hug.

As if completely forgetting what had occurred moments ago, Ryma grinned. "That's awesome Miya!"

"I say we catch a big dinner tonight to celebrate! How's that sound?!" Ryma stared at her sister. She could barely recall the last time Miya had gone hunting with her. She closed her eyes and grinned as she gave her sister a thumbs-up for her approval.


End file.
